Supermarket botany, wine tasting, magic microscopes, water and soil testing and the multiplication of kangaroo paws using tissue culture will be on show in the Charles Sturt University (CSU) tent at the Henty Machinery Field Days. Staff and students from CSU will take visitors through hands-on and active displays that highlight various aspects of research and teaching in the University’s Faculty of Science, which is represented on its main campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Orange and Wagga Wagga. Acting Dean of CSU’s Faculty of Science, Professor Lyn Angel, says, “Charles Sturt University has a strong presence in regional Australia, and the Field Days present a key opportunity to engage with the community, listen to current issues on the land, and show some of our education and training facilities”.

Students from a Border high school are continuing to top groups in an online game for high school business students. Four teams from Wodonga Senior Secondary College are in the top three positions in three pools of the Game On competition being run by Charles Sturt University’s Faculty of Business. More than 560 regional high school students from high schools in Albury-Wodonga, central west NSW, Port Macquarie and the Riverina are pitting their business skills against each other in the virtual competition until Friday 7 September. Dr Abhishek Dwivedi, Lecturer in CSU’s School of Management and Marketing based in Albury-Wodonga, said, “The simulation is largely based on the Stage 6 Business Studies Syllabus in NSW. The Year 10 and 11 students at 29 regional schools are divided into 193 teams. In running their businesses, which are based on the automobile industry, they need to make decisions on human resources, marketing, operations and finance in each of the competition’s eight rounds.”

Visiting Chinese ecologist Professor Cao Lei has a delightful enthusiasm for all things Australian, and a great concern for the environmental degradation of wetlands and the loss of waterbirds in her homeland. Professor Cao is working at Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS) as part of her three month visit to Australia, developing a cooperative project proposal with ILWS director Professor Max Finlayson and ILWS researchers on a model for wetland restoration and management in China to address the marked deterioration of wetlands in the giant Yangtze River basin. The Chinese ecologist is particularly concerned with the dramatic fall in the number of many waterbirds that rely on freshwater lakes in the basin for winter feeding and roosting. As leader of the Waterbirds and Wetlands Ecology Group of the University of Science and Technology of China’s School of Life Science, Professor Cao is also investigating how CSU teaches its ecology courses, with a view to establishing ecology as a major area of study at her university.

Exposing young school students to important health and safety messages is the focus of a cooperative effort between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and West Albury Primary School at the annual Health and Safety Education Expo. Around 80 students enrolled in CSU’s early childhood education degree will present hands-on learning experiences and displays to 80 children between Kindergarten and Year 2, who will practise storm survival, be healthy fruit master chefs, escape an imaginary fire, and discover how to be head lice busters. "Charles Sturt University students are involved in hands-on teaching and learning with the local community. The students researched their topics with the help of local professionals and prepared interactive experiences for the school children. The expo emphasises the importance of giving young children support to promote their own wellbeing from a very young age," said early childhood education lecturer, Ms Angela Fenton, from CSU’s Murray School of Education  at Thurgoona. West Albury Public School will host the Health and Safety Education Expo between 2pm and 3.30pm on Wednesday 21 September.

High school students from as far afield as Tasmania will gain an insight into studying animal, equine or veterinary science at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Thursday 5 and Friday 6 July. The Years 11 and 12 students from almost 120 high schools in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania will visit CSU as part of the University’s MyDay, an initiative that lets high school students experience a day in the life of a university student. During the two-day My Day event, the students will participate in hands-on workshops within the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga. The University will also host general information sessions on accommodation and financial support. Undergraduate courses under the spotlight during the event include the Bachelor of Animal Science, the Bachelor of Equine Science, and the Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/ Bachelor of Veterinary Science. Read more here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host one of two forums in Albury on Wednesday 20 June looking at whether Australia is making a difference with its international aid programs. Organised by the international World Vision charity, four speakers closely involved with overseas aid projects will address the successes and challenges of working with the world’s poor as they face hunger, malnutrition and disease, and how the Australian government’s $5.2 billion aid budget for 2012/13 could best be spent. CSU will host a daytime event between 1-2pm for school students and the public in the CD Blake Lecture Theatre on the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus at Thurgoona, while a second evening event for the Border community will be staged in the Albury Entertainment Centre, Swift Street, Albury.

Former and current police officers and school teachers are sought to participate in Charles Sturt University (CSU) research about decision-making in their careers. The study by Ms Loene Howes, a psychology student and a teacher for 14 years, will focus on the career decision-making of police officers and teachers who stay in these professions or enter new careers. “In particular, I need former school teachers and police officers who have gone into other fields, as well as current police officers and school teachers, to complete an anonymous online survey,” said Ms Howes. "The survey usually takes 10 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on how many questions are relevant to the experience of the individual completing the survey. I hope my research will be of use to police officers and teachers considering career change, counsellors assisting police officers and teachers with career transitions, and police and education departments in addressing the needs of staff and keeping experienced staff in the professions.” The survey can be found here. 

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic has joined with 13 expert English teachers and educators from across Australia to produce a textbook series for the new Australia-wide English curriculum. Mr Paul Grover, a lecturer with the CSU School of Education in Albury-Wodonga, contributed chapters on ‘The Writing Craft’, ‘Visual Texts’, ‘Writing from Asia and the Pacific’, and ‘Myths, Legends and Fantasy Writing’. Titled Pearson English, the book will be available to Years 7 to 10 students across Australia in printed and online versions. “Teacher resource books have also been written to support the introduction of the Australian curriculum in our schools,” Mr Grover said. “This innovative series allows students to explore new technologies, access new and challenging texts, and develop literacy skills for the 21st century.” Mr Grover has previously written various English and history textbooks and resource books for high school students. Pearson English will be launched in Melbourne on Saturday 14 April and will be available through Pearson Publishers.

Past graduates of Charles Sturt University (CSU) who live in Albury, Wodonga and surrounding areas are invited to an informal gathering in Albury on Monday evening 14 May. Alumni of all ages and backgrounds can attend a cocktail evening to catch up with friends and possibly make new contacts, while also hearing from three accomplished CSU alumni and staff: Assistant Commissioner at the Australian Tax Office, Ms Debra Unsworth; current Deputy Chancellor of Charles Sturt University and former senior manager with NSW TAFE, Ms Kathryn Pitkin; and, CSU psychology lecturer, researcher and avowed sceptic, Dr Krissy Wilson. The event will start at 6pm at The Bended Elbow, 480 Dean Street, Albury, with finger food and drinks provided. People intending to attend can register with CSU Alumni, and follow the Events links.